Tips For Writing On Wattpad

Show, don't tell & Tracking time.

It's easy to say show, don't tell, but what does it really mean?

Telling is when you tell the reader the details instead of letting them make the connection for themselves.

Showing guides them to the conclusion.

You can use things like details, sounds, smells, and your characters' reactions to show what they're doing.

Instead of telling people that your character is angry, describe it. How do you know he is angry? His actions, tone of voice, or even word choice can convey his anger without having to tell people how angry he is.

Example: Tyler slammed his fist down on the table as he shouted, "No! I will not do that."

Instead of saying 'Karen was cold', we can say: 'Karen shivered and hugged her coat tighter around her as she waited for her boyfriend to show up. Frost forming on the grass crunched under her feet.'

Instead of 'Lacey was sad to leave her puppy at home.' – try 'As the car started driving, Lacey wiped her tears away as she thought about how lonely her puppy would be until she returned.'

Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean that you can't ever 'tell' the readers what happened, but do try to include more showing than telling. No one wants a five-page description of how you made breakfast and ate it. Yet, if it advances the plot, it can be done (such as some 'last meals' in Game of Thrones).

Keep things clear and understandable.

If readers get confused, they often stop reading a story. If you see several comments about something they don't understand, it's wise to take a second look at it.

This can apply to the scene, time passage, events, character mood swings, etc.

How to describe a scene
So, you have great characters and a great plot. But what about the background (aka. the scene)?

Are your characters sneaking through an underground subway tunnel, or marching down a city street? Are there bystanders around?

These are all things that you, as the writer, will have to point out without pretending that you're a tour guide. It may sound difficult – and sometimes it is – but there are several ways to do this.

- Dialogue (both in what they say and/or with dialogue tags) (more examples in the dialogue chapter)

- Have your characters interact with the environment.

Examples:

Dialogue: "Let's go into the living room to discuss this."

Dialogue tag: I quickly closed the fridge door, calling out, "Hey, Mark. Is that fuzzy green thing supposed to be moving?"

Character interacting with environment: I closed the door and flopped down on my bed as I waited for my sister to storm in. [So, the character is in his/her bedroom, with a closed door, and likely has an angry sister somewhere in the immediate vicinity. Let's decorate the room now...] I gazed absently at the blue walls and pictures of my family. I only had pictures of my Dad. None of my Mother though, who knows where she got to. My sister and I were goofing around in most of the photos. [There, the walls are blue, and we also incorporated the family size and dynamic into the story.]

Add emotions
Most readers aren't on Wattpad to read a research paper or a dry historical textbook. They are here to be drawn in by the characters and their emotions.